Produced by: Tarun Mishra
The IPL 2024 is gearing up for an exciting showdown between two of the top teams in the league as Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) plays host to Mumbai Indians (MI) today. Expect to witness some of the biggest T20 stars showcasing their talent on the field.
Keep an eye out for the IPL's second-highest purchase, Pat Cummins, as he takes on the league's most significant trade, Hardik Pandya.
Both teams have had disappointing beginnings to their current campaigns. The Orange Army suffered a narrow loss to Kolkata Knight Riders by 4 runs in their opening match, nearly achieving the fourth-highest successful run chase in IPL history. Meanwhile, MI faced a defeat by 6 runs against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad.
The Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium pitch is renowned for providing a balanced challenge to both batsmen and bowlers. Early on, bowlers can anticipate favourable conditions with seam and swing movement. However, as the game progresses, the pitch typically becomes more batsman-friendly, with spinners also finding some assistance. Nevertheless, in the season opener, spinners might not experience as much support in the initial stages of the match.
Mayank Agarwal, Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahmed, Marco Jansen, Pat Cummins (c), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mayank Markande, T Natarajan
Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Naman Dhir, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (c), Tim David, Shams Mulani, Piyush Chawla, Gerald Coetzee, Jasprit Bumrah, Luke Wood
In the head-to-head encounters between SRH and MI, out of a total of 21 games played: MI emerged victorious in 12 matches, while SRH secured victory in 9 matches.
Heinrich Klaasen continues his impressive form, but couldn't clinch victory for his team in the first game. Expect him to shine in IPL 2024. Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah, a world-class bowler, took three wickets in the previous match but couldn't secure a win. He'll be eager to lead his team to victory in the next game.